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we're posting pretty much the same thought because we've all stroked into bombs on a the right board and know how good it feels. you don't use the 6' 6" all the time so it will last longer. mine is a Nev from the late
90's 6'6" 18 1/4 2 1/4. its a little thin for me now but its still in pretty good shape. i only use a few times a year but when i take it out it's like game on.

what type fins do you guys use on these days? i always use a fin with more rake. i feel it gives me a better bottom turn that gets me in the spot for a good down the line run.

I think the mental aspects are far more important than the equipment. Sure, it's important to have good gear, but none of that matters if you cannot focus and get the job done.

It comes down to fear. Big waves are scary. How scary depends on the level of comfort, which comes mostly from time spent in similar conditions. If you have never surfed a head-high day, it's pretty scary. If you have been around the block for a while, it's no big deal. The same goes for DOH and bigger. When the waves get really big, it's always scary (for me, at least) because there is always the possibility of getting hurt really bad.

Experience, aside from removing fear, also helps us to manage it. Just because you are afraid doesn't mean you cannot nail it and score a big one. You just need to learn to push that fear away from your mind and use your mental faculties 100 percent in doing exactly what you need to do. My gnarliest ride ever was in Hawaii at Logs. I don't want to say how big the wave was because I'd be tempted to lie :P, but all that matters is that it should have been scary as sh!t. It was big and hollow and I could see the lava spikes just inches below the surface as I was getting into the thing. The funny part is that I don't remember being afraid at all. Looking back, it seems scary to me. At that moment, however, it was all focus on what I needed to do. The rest of the universe, for that brief time, did not even exist. I bet the hard-chargers here (and I do not claim to be among them) have even better stories about instinct taking over in those critical moments.

I think the mental aspects are far more important than the equipment. Sure, it's important to have good gear, but none of that matters if you cannot focus and get the job done.

It comes down to fear. Big waves are scary. How scary depends on the level of comfort, which comes mostly from time spent in similar conditions. If you have never surfed a head-high day, it's pretty scary. If you have been around the block for a while, it's no big deal. The same goes for DOH and bigger. When the waves get really big, it's always scary (for me, at least) because there is always the possibility of getting hurt really bad.

Experience, aside from removing fear, also helps us to manage it. Just because you are afraid doesn't mean you cannot nail it and score a big one. You just need to learn to push that fear away from your mind and use your mental faculties 100 percent in doing exactly what you need to do. My gnarliest ride ever was in Hawaii at Logs. I don't want to say how big the wave was because I'd be tempted to lie :P, but all that matters is that it should have been scary as sh!t. It was big and hollow and I could see the lava spikes just inches below the surface as I was getting into the thing. The funny part is that I don't remember being afraid at all. Looking back, it seems scary to me. At that moment, however, it was all focus on what I needed to do. The rest of the universe, for that brief time, did not even exist. I bet the hard-chargers here (and I do not claim to be among them) have even better stories about instinct taking over in those critical moments.

Thanks for sharing, and I completely agree with mindset being more important than equipment. Although both are very important. What I wanted to get out of this thread was the mindset of those who charge the big stuff (you covered that), and then the subtle changes you may make to your techniques i.e. paddling, reading waves, positioning, foot work, popping up, weight distribution, and read & reacting.

Other than that I try to remember I can make many more sections than I'm used to because of the extra speed. Too many days of mushburgers and I forget what may not be a makeable section when it's waist high will be entirely makeable on an overhead day.

Classic line... Who is J.O.B. is one of the best surf videos... cant wait for the next one..
But in all seriousness, the trick to bigger surf in my opinion is take your time. Don't just take off on anything, and have the right board, it will make a big difference.

Contrary to popular assumptions, you're absolutely right. People just assume that if you have a longer board, you'll get into waves earlier, simply because of the added length, and that is not so. Other design elements are at least as important, particularly bottom contours, tail volume, and rocker... and I would even go as far as to argue in that order. Length allows you to have a higher paddling speed, and that will help catch bigger, faster moving waves more easily. But bottom contours that displace water (as opposed to concaves) can undo some of that effect, and so can reduced tail planing surface and/or tail volume. This applies to traditional surfboard designs, and not Roy type boards or other out-of-the-box type designs. Those pulled in tails and displacement features, like the heavy vee you see on a lot of semiguns and guns, is needed for control at speed while up and riding... not for wave catching. So like everything else... it's a compromise: Take of late and steep, and have the control and maneuverability at speed, or take off early, and have less control.

For the wayyy outside sets look up and down the beach around you. When a big set rolls in 1-2 blocks north then a big set rolls in 1-2 blocks south your spot is probably next. Start moving outside a little so you have a head start.

A couple of legit HH+ by California standards days. I feel like it will hold bigger than that no problem. I don’t like it in anything smaller than waist/chest high though, if it’s not a little juicy I grab something else. I’m guessing that at 6’4” x 21” x 2 and a lot and you only weighing in at 160-70, your board can handle mushburgers like a champ. It should ride fine in HH and I bet the extra volume will get you into waves really early. Bigger and steeper than that, I have a feeling you’re not going to like that wide fishtail as much. I could be wrong though, I've never owned a fish and never ridden one in anything bigger that waist/chest.

I wouldn’t draw too many comparisons between our two boards though. My board is a round tail, single to double concave with a relaxed rocker that’s two inches shorter than me and was made for clean California juice specifically as a big boy HPSB. Except for a little extra volume in the front, it bears 0 resemblance to a fish. That’s the thing about custom boards, they’re custom and no two are alike. That and the size difference between you and me and the size difference between the boards themselves make comparisons difficult. An equivalent board for you that would be good to compare to mine would be any round tailed board with a lot of volume in front that’s all business in the back, something like a Rusty Slayer, Lost Shark, Sub/Mini/Driver, CI DD, Coil FBF/M80, etc. in about a 5’8”-5’10”, 18’ to 19” wide and maybe 2 1/4” thick. Say about .85 - .95 in volume.

True, will keep that in mind. I'm actually more in the 170-175lb range (haven't seen 160 in a long time), and my FBF is actually 6'4"x21.5"x2 3/4, 1.4 V, flat bottom with a little V out the back, but it's got some nose rocker, definitely designed more to get into the mush better but was told it should handle some of the more juicy days as well, i'm just wondering where the top end really is.